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Back Home

September 11, 2022 at 9:09 am by Claudia

Good morning!

I’m back home. I’m so glad I do not have to make that trip again! I will say that all four trips to and from Rochester were beautiful. Beautiful scenery and beautiful weather. I’m grateful for that. On the return home, Google Maps sent me on a different route for the last leg of the journey and that helped perk me up. I came home to a big hug from my husband, who was concocting a new recipe for dinner as a welcome home.

I drove directly to the hotel this time as I had a few hours before I needed to be at the theater. This time, my room was smaller but faced the Genessee River, so I had a lovely view. So much nicer than facing the parking lot, like my last visit.

At the last minute, I decided to bring Holly along for the ride because I had also packed some yarn to crochet another hat and I needed a model.

She liked the view, too.

My husband made the most wonderful dinner for me. The cooler worked beautifully, by the way. (I had no idea what was in the containers as they were supposed to be a surprise.) The contents: fried potatoes, thinly sliced, which is one of my favorite Don creations, and a vegetarian stir-fry full of tasty favorites. Oh my goodness! It was so appreciated after the long drive.

I headed to the theater to watch the final Preview. There were so many technical problems earlier in the week. These things happen. So a couple of previews had to be cancelled. I have to say it’s in great shape, despite all the stress earlier in the week. The cast is wonderful. The actress playing Jane did it in Hartford, as well, and she’s such a powerful and heartbreaking Jane. The actor playing Rochester is simply wonderful. They have terrific chemistry. The audience loved it and stood up immediately. I’m glad for the cast, but my side note is that standing ovations are a dime a dozen nowadays. In my earlier years in the theater, they were rare, so their impact was powerful. Now? People just stand up no matter what. Sigh. I’m not saying this cast didn’t deserve the ovation, just that if ovations always happen, they lose their power.

I took notes, talked to Elizabeth (the director) and Fiona (the dramaturg) and then got back to the hotel around 10:45. I called Don to let him know I was safely in the hotel, and took a bath, as my back was very painful after the drive.

The next morning, I finished crocheting the hat. I left a little later than planned because I didn’t want to leave any stitches still on the hook, so I crocheted like a madwoman. Hat? Finished.

I’ll let Holly model it for you (picture taken in the hotel.)

I’ve figured out the kind of yarn I need to use, so this one turned out perfectly.

I left Rochester around 9:40 and arrived home exactly 5 hours later at 2:40.

I regret to say that my back suffered from all the hours in the car, so I was in pain last night and am this morning, as well. It will get better. I have a few days free before I coach again and I’m going to baby it.

Coaching on Jane Eyre  is complete.

I’m happy to be home. It’s raining outside!

I write about 9/11 every year. This year, I’m simply going to acknowledge the date.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, coaching, crochet, On The Road 19 Comments

Saturday

September 3, 2022 at 8:54 am by Claudia

Cooler nights, lately. But it’s still warm during the day – today, it will be 85 degrees. It looks like we’re getting rain on Monday, so I just might have a rainy drive home from Rochester. Annoying, but outweighed by my gratitude for the rain.

I hope you have a lovely holiday weekend.

Deb commented yesterday and told us the heart procedure went very well and she’s under doctor’s orders to rest for the next few days. Good news!

I’m working on another puzzle while getting ready to drive to Rochester tomorrow. Today, some errands, filling up the tank with gas, and some laundry.

I won’t be posting on Sunday and Monday, but I’ll be back on Tuesday morning.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Filed Under: On The Road 26 Comments

My Little Road Trip

August 29, 2022 at 8:29 am by Claudia

The milkweed pods are opening. I grabbed a quick picture as I was just about to get in the car to go to Rochester.

The trip? Let’s just say ‘tedious.’ The drive was long; starting off by going west through the Catskills for a few hours, then north, then west again. It was pretty and for several miles I was driving alongside the Delaware River. Shockingly low. Drought. Drove through the Finger Lakes area, past Ithaca, through Syracuse and Skaneateles Lake – lots of mountains and farms and beautiful scenery. Crossed the Erie Canal. I made it to Rochester and went directly to the theater with a half hour to spare before rehearsal was to start.

It was great seeing Elizabeth, formerly Associate Artistic Director at Hartford Stage, and the adapter of the script, as well as the director of Jane Eyre. And Fiona, who was an intern at Hartford and is now a dramaturg for Geva Theater. We spent 20 minutes or so catching up with each other while I took my covid test and sent a picture of the results to company management. Negative. Good friends and colleagues that I’m always happy to see.

The run through went quite well. I took notes and could only quickly pass them out to the actors at the end of the day because we were out of time.

And then I left and checked into the hotel, which was nice – room decorated in a symphony of browns. But it was a suite with a separate bedroom, a nice kitchenette – quite spacious!

The recurring problem with the whole trip was finding food. I was always hungry. Don made a sandwich for me before I left and I ate that in the car as I was driving. I had a box of wheat thins. And water. By the time I checked in at the hotel and looked at a list of local restaurants, I was so tired that I opted for a frozen Stouffer’s fettucine alfredo that was in the freezer in what was called The Pantry at the hotel.

It was awful. I couldn’t even finish it! Same thing the next day. I had a sort of breakfast – the kind that you often find in motels – in the morning. Grabbed a banana for the road. And then I just snacked on wheat thins on the way home. By the time I pulled in the driveway, I was starving, so I had some soup.

The rest stops had, typically, a McDonalds or something of that sort. Other than fries – there was nothing I could or would eat.

After taking a bath, I went to bed and conked out for the night. I slept well.

I should have known, knowing me, that I would have no desire to go see Lake Ontario on Sunday. I just wanted to get back home and I knew I had another long journey ahead.

It’s a lot of driving for a three hour rehearsal! I’ll have to do the same thing next Sunday/Monday. Yes, I drive home on Labor Day, a bit of information I didn’t grasp until after I committed to that date. Ah, well.

Positive things: beautiful scenery, summer (not winter!) – a nice little tour of New York state. It was much greener in Rochester and one of the actors told me it had been quite rainy there recently.

I have to figure out something better in terms of trip food before Sunday.

Don, as you know, has the farmers market on Sunday, so he couldn’t go along. But he was really helpful with trip prep, bless his heart.

It was great to see old friends, meet the cast in person, see a bit of the theater. It’s right downtown, housed in a converted arsenal. I didn’t get a photo of the exterior, but I’ll try to do that next weekend.

I have to coach Jim today, another actress in the musical tomorrow (and maybe Jim, as well.) And so it will go this week. Jim’s show starts rehearsals the day after Labor Day, so we have a lot to do before then.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Filed Under: On The Road 45 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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